March 21, 2002When the archbishop died in 1989 he left a large body of letters, sermons, lectures, and assorted notes in English, Armenian and French in the archives of St. Nersess Seminary. The Seminary has undertaken to publish this corpus in a series of volumes on the occasion of its Fortieth Anniversary.

The first volume in the series is in memory of Dr. Gaspar and Ann Goshgarian, long-time friends of Archbishop Tiran. The volume is a collection of Archbishop Nersoyan's early correspondence, written or received by him between 1924 and 1944. These years marked Nersoyan's early life first as a young sub-deacon in the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and later as the priest of the fledgling Armenian community in London.

The letters were edited and translated into English by Dr. Roberta Ervine, Associate Professor of Armenian Studies at St. Nersess Seminary.

Young Servant and Theologian of the Armenian ChurchThe early letters trace Nersoyan's journey to perceive God's will for his life. In a letter to Patriarch Yeghishe Tourian, the young sub-deacon wrestles with his own sense of lack of fitness for ministry in the Armenian Church. Subsequent letters to his colleagues, the late Bishop Zgon Der Hagopian and the late Fr. Mesrob Semerjian, reveal Nersoyan overcoming his initial ambivalence, and beginning to form a lucid vision for the Armenian Church in the modern world.

Often reading like the epistles of St. Paul, many of Archbishop Nersoyan's letters take up delicate theological issues in a fresh and provocative way. In a letter to the Editor-in-Chief of an Egyptian journal, Nersoyan presents a highly original exposition of the Armenian Church's traditional teaching on the humanity and divinity of Christ, a subject of continued discussion today.

As a young man, Nersoyan was already far ahead of his time. His letter to Fr. Zgon dated June 11, 1944 sketches a strikingly mature vision for the unity of the churches at a time when the ecumenical movement was still in its infancy. It is a vision that gives the Armenian Church a leadership role in that quest. "Formal intercommunion must be established with the Orthodox Church," Nersoyan writes. "We must also carry with us the Syrians and the Copts. It will take years, naturally. But one must make a start...We must resume where Shnorhali left off."

Years later Nersoyan would name the Seminary he founded after St. Nersess Shnorhali, "the Grace-filled," a twelfth-century Catholicos who has been called the father of modern ecumenism.

Prophetic Voice for Renewal and GrowthNersoyan's reputation for being outspoken and controversial is confirmed in many of the letters in this collection. In another letter to Fr. Zgon he writes, "I had not heard about the election of Archbishop Garegin (Hovsepian) to the See of Cilicia. I must congratulate him, if by this time he has not already left for Lebanon. I hope he will try to unite the two Sees and will make the Cilician province an archbishopric under Etchmiadzin. It is so silly to have two catholicoi."

The Archbishop's vision for an intelligent and informed approach to the Christian faith and the Armenian Church is evident in a 1944 letter to the editor of "The Armenian Church," the publication of the Diocese in New York, of which Nersoyan had just been elected Primate. "I beg you, purge 'The Armenian Church' of poetry and boring sermons before I get there!," Nersoyan writes. "History and logic--that's what we need. Give up on influencing the minds of people 50 and older. Here I've seen quite a few young Armenian American men. Those with intelligence are fantastic. It's with them in mind that I say we need history and theology. Of course they don't understand Armenian. OK, we will write in the language that they understand."

The quest to liberate the Armenian Church from the obscurity and irrelevance to which the modern, secular world would condemn it underlies all of Nersoyan's early letters, and indeed, his long ministry. "Abp. Tiran's willingness to put any and all of the teachings and attitudes of his Church and society to the logical test grew out of his total conviction that it is indeed the Church which preserves Christ's faith," writes Dr. Ervine in her introduction to the letters. "Not as something mummified, but as a living, growing entity...If there were no dialogue, no disagreement, no wrestling with the issues until they yielded up their deep truths, the Church would have not tradition, but a museum."

"Evening of Remembrance" and ReceptionThe Unpublished Writings of Tiran Nersoyan I: Early Correspondence (1924-1944) will be released at a special "Evening of Remembrance" for Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan on April 6, 2002 at the Kavookjian Hall of the Diocese of the Armenian Church, 630 Second Avenue, New York. The event will begin at 4:00 p.m. with Requiem prayers, and will continue with a program of speakers who will reflect on Nersoyan's vision and contributions to the Armenian Church. An exhibit of memorabilia, documents and photos from Abp. Nersoyan and a reception will follow. The "Evening of Remembrance" is free and open to the public.

All those in attendance will receive a free copy of the new book. Others may order the book from St. Nersess Armenian Seminary, 150 Stratton Road, New York 10804 for $15.00.

February 16, 2002On April 6, 2002, the Saturday following Easter, the Seminary will pay tribute to Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan, who established St. Nersess Seminary in 1962. The "Evening of Remembrance" will take place in Kavookjian Hall of the (Eastern) Diocese of the Armenian Church, 630 Second Avenue, New York. Colleagues of Tiran Srpazan will be present to reflect on his life, achievements, and monumental place in the history of the Armenian Church of America. An exhibit of photographs, documents and memorabilia from Nersoyan's life and the early days of the Seminary will be featured.

On that day the Seminary will release a volume of Tiran Srpazan's previously unpublished correspondence, including letters he exchanged decades ago with scholars, and dignitaries in the Armenian Church and in the ecumenical world.

Dr. Dennis Papazian, Professor of History and Director of the Armenian Research Center of the University of Michigan-Dearborn will serve as the Chairman of the commemoration. Dr. Papazian worked closely with Abp. Nersoyan beginning in the 1950's and has been involved with St. Nersess in various capacities almost since its inception. He has served on the Board of Directors.

"St. Nersess Seminary's Fortieth Anniversary is a great milestone for the Armenian Church, particularly in America," Dr. Papazian said recently. "Throughout its history the Armenian Church has benefited greatly from the existence centers of theological learning in the major dioceses throughout the world. Here in North America we have carried on that ancient and revered tradition. There is no question in my mind that St. Nersess will continue to accomplish its God-pleasing work in the foreseeable future."

Assessing the contributions of the founder of St. Nersess, Papazian continued, "Archbishop Tiran was certainly one of our greatest and most visionary leaders. He understood that the success of the Armenian Church in America depended in great measure on indigenizing the training of clergymen for service here. Not only the founder of St. Nersess Seminary, but the founder of the ACYOA, the organizer of the Cathedral project, and strong supporter of church school education, he laid the groundwork for the current successes of our dioceses in North America."

The Evening of Remembrance of Archbishop Nersoyan is free of charge and open to the public. For further information please write to info@stnersess.edu; or call (914) 636-2003.

February 15, 2002On President's Weekend, February 15-18, 2002 St. Nersess Armenian Seminary will conduct an Acolytes' Training Program for boys who are interested in serving at the altar during the Divine Liturgy. The program is open to boys aged 11-14 who would like to learn how to hold candles, use the poorvar, vest the priest and sing the basic deacons' parts of the Sunday Badarak. The weekend will be modeled after the Seminary's popular Deacons' Training Program held each summer. The Acolytes' Weekend will combine practical training sessions with Bible Study, daily worship, and social and recreational activities.

V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, Seminary dean, and Mr. Levon Altiparmakian, a deacon from St. Thomas Armenian Church, Tenafly, New Jersey, will direct the program. They will be assisted by the St. Nersess seminarians, as well as alumni of the Deacons' Training Program. The program will begin with supper on Friday, February 15 and conclude with lunch on Monday, February 18, a national holiday.

The cost for the weekend is $150, which includes tuition, materials, home-cooked meals and accommodations at the Seminary in New Rochelle, New York.

For further information and registration and application please contact St. Nersess Seminary at (914) 636-2003 or by email at info@stnersess.edu